# Patrick Macnee, The Avengers 'John Steed', RIP **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 25, 2015, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/patrick-macnee-the-avengers-john-steed-rip/723466 "2015-06-25T19:51:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2015, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/patrick-macnee-the-avengers-john-steed-rip/723466/1 "2015-06-25T19:51:15Z")
[Patrick Macnee has died at the age of 93.](http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-33279566) I used to like watching _The Avengers_ when I was little. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2015, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/patrick-macnee-the-avengers-john-steed-rip/723466/2 "2015-06-25T19:55:05Z")
I guess he was needed. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2015, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/patrick-macnee-the-avengers-john-steed-rip/723466/3 "2015-06-25T19:55:18Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I used to like watching _The Avengers_ when I was little. Me too. RIP Mr. Steed. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2015, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/patrick-macnee-the-avengers-john-steed-rip/723466/4 "2015-06-25T20:07:11Z")
I didn’t realize until now that there was such a big age difference between Patrick Macnee and Diana Rigg (almost 17 years). She’s 76 now - I hope she’s doing well. Was _The Avengers_ the first British show to catch on in the U.S.? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2015, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/patrick-macnee-the-avengers-john-steed-rip/723466/5 "2015-06-25T20:08:44Z")
Damn. Liked him in [BThe Avengers\*\*. Like a lot of Avengers folk, he appeared in a Bond film – **Moonraker**. I was really surprised when I heard his distinctive voice on the original **Battlestar Galactica**. I got to see him live onstage. He played Andrew Wyke in Anthony Shaffer’s play **Sleuth** on Broadway. HE is who I think of when I read that play, not Laurence Olivier or Michael Caine. (They ran TV advertisements for the play on WOR TV 9 Secaucus/NYC during syndicated episodes of _The Avengers_. They knew their audience!) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2015, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/patrick-macnee-the-avengers-john-steed-rip/723466/6 "2015-06-25T20:32:05Z")
> [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > Diana Rigg… She’s 76 now - I hope she’s doing well. She’s holding her own against Cersei Lannister. > [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > Was _The Avengers_ the first British show to catch on in the U.S.? I don’t know. What about _Thunderbirds_? (I was pretty young at the time.) ---
**Author:** ![Encinitas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Encinitas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Encinitas)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2015, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/patrick-macnee-the-avengers-john-steed-rip/723466/7 "2015-06-25T21:05:44Z")
Steed and Peel. Did they ever…you know…? I sure hope they did because they were both sexy as hell. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2015, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/patrick-macnee-the-avengers-john-steed-rip/723466/8 "2015-06-25T21:15:26Z")
> [@Encinitas](#): > > Steed and Peel. Did they ever…you know…? > I sure hope they did because they were both sexy as hell. Did you see the way they looked at each other? (Do we have a smiley that means WOW?) I think his career was hurt by his typecasting as Steed. Everybody thought of him as Steed. Everybody will always think of him as Steed. For an actor I’m sure that’s a legacy both horrible and wonderful. ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2015, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/patrick-macnee-the-avengers-john-steed-rip/723466/9 "2015-06-25T21:24:53Z")
Aw, that is sad! He was so cool as “Mr. Steed”! Loved his chemistry with Mrs. Peel – they really lit up the screen! ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2015, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/patrick-macnee-the-avengers-john-steed-rip/723466/10 "2015-06-25T21:55:44Z")
I suppose it’s just selective memory and confirmation bias, but wow there’s been a string of losses in the last few weeks. He will be missed. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2015, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/patrick-macnee-the-avengers-john-steed-rip/723466/11 "2015-06-25T22:06:41Z")
So sorry-Steed was incredibly cool. The show was a little crazy-Steed’s insane boss was over the top. But it was fast moving and well acted. I liked Steed’s 1924 Bentley car-while Mrs. peel drove a Lotus. The shows are still fun to watch-but the 1960s were a long time ago-it shows. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2015, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/patrick-macnee-the-avengers-john-steed-rip/723466/12 "2015-06-25T22:09:36Z")
It’s been so long since I’ve seen any of the Avengers, but I do remember one episode where when someone was killed there was a quick little dance number. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2015, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/patrick-macnee-the-avengers-john-steed-rip/723466/13 "2015-06-25T22:10:05Z")
He was the best part of the Bond flick “A View to a Kill” (which was, by and large, pretty awful. But at least his bits shone!) The best parts of The Avengers were the intellectual pretensions. They gave you action and adventure, they gave you intrigue, and they also gave you something to think about. Steed and Peel were formidable because they were extremely well educated. And doggone sexy too… Heaven is a safer place today; the conspiracy of fallen angels to infiltrate the seraphic choir disguised as ejecta from ring nebulae will be trivial for him to foil. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2015, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/patrick-macnee-the-avengers-john-steed-rip/723466/14 "2015-06-25T22:16:34Z")
That’s sad news. Aside from what has been mentioned, I always liked his episode of Magnum, where he played an old friend and fellow MI-5 agent friend of Higgins, who thought he was Sherlock Holmes. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2015, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/patrick-macnee-the-avengers-john-steed-rip/723466/15 "2015-06-25T22:19:41Z")
> [@Encinitas](#): > > Steed and Peel. Did they ever…you know…? > I sure hope they did because they were both sexy as hell. No. Mrs. Peel was still hoping for the return of her missing husband. When he actually did return (in the episode [The Forget-Me-Knot](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0516905/?ref_=ttep_ep1)) we see him ([briefly at 49:03](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqBDT0D_G9M)) dressed in a conservative but well tailored suit, wearing a bowler and carrying an umbrella. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2015, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/patrick-macnee-the-avengers-john-steed-rip/723466/16 "2015-06-25T22:29:31Z")
RIP Sir Dennis. Tap into the Great Beyond! ---
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2015, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/patrick-macnee-the-avengers-john-steed-rip/723466/17 "2015-06-25T22:36:49Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > I think his career was hurt by his typecasting as Steed. Everybody thought of him as Steed. Everybody will always think of him as Steed. For an actor I’m sure that’s a legacy both horrible and wonderful. I don’t think he minded being typecast. Possibly because he struck an excellent deal. > [@](#): > > But it was “The Avengers” that provided a permanent living for Macnee. He owned 2.5 percent of the profits, and the series continued to play worldwide into the 21st century. [http://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/celebrity/patrick-macnee-star-of-1960s-tv-series-the-avengers-dies/ar-AAc8kCw](http://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/celebrity/patrick-macnee-star-of-1960s-tv-series-the-avengers-dies/ar-AAc8kCw) I, too, will miss him. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2015, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/patrick-macnee-the-avengers-john-steed-rip/723466/18 "2015-06-25T22:38:31Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > No. Mrs. Peel was still hoping for the return of her missing husband. When he actually did return (in the episode [The Forget-Me-Knot](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0516905/?ref_=ttep_ep1)) we see him ([briefly at 49:03](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqBDT0D_G9M)) dressed in a conservative but well tailored suit, wearing a bowler and carrying an umbrella. In an interview in the '70s, right after _ **The New Avengers** _ came out, MacNee put this issue to rest once and for all: Yes, Steed and Emma did do the nasty. They just took it for granted and never dwelled on it. (Though some of those episodes were laced with innuendo, like the one where the villain had a shrinking machine: “Tell me, Steed: Is everything to scale?”) Yes, Peter Peel looked exactly like Steed from a distance; I believe he was played by MacNee as well. One of my all-time favorite shows and characters. RIP! ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2015, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/patrick-macnee-the-avengers-john-steed-rip/723466/19 "2015-06-25T22:40:25Z")
> [@E-DUB](#): > > It’s been so long since I’ve seen any of the Avengers, but I do remember one episode where when someone was killed there was a quick little dance number. I think that was a Tara King episode, the one with John Cleese and the clowns who were being murdered. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2015, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/patrick-macnee-the-avengers-john-steed-rip/723466/20 "2015-06-25T22:41:35Z")
> [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > I didn’t realize until now that there was such a big age difference between Patrick Macnee and Diana Rigg (almost 17 years). She’s 76 now - I hope she’s doing well. > > Was _The Avengers_ the first British show to catch on in the U.S.? I think that was either \*\*\*Robin Hood \*\*\*or _ **Ivanhoe** _, the latter starring Roger Moore. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/patrick-macnee-the-avengers-john-steed-rip/723466.md?page=2)